Boleto
Brazilian bank payment slip with barcode and due date, paid online or in cash. 5.67 billion boleto payments in 2025; confirmation takes one to three business days.
Boleto Bancário, usually just called boleto, is a standardised Brazilian payment slip that dates back to a 1993 Banco Central do Brasil circular setting rules for its electronic clearing. The merchant's bank or PSP issues a document showing a barcode, the amount, a due date and the payer's name and CPF or CNPJ tax number, and the customer pays it before it expires. The BCB now governs the arrangement through Resolution 443 of 2024, participating banks agree the operating convention through their representative associations, including FEBRABAN, and Núclea runs the central database in which boletos are registered.
Payment can happen almost anywhere: banking apps and internet banking, ATMs, branches, lottery outlets and other banking correspondents, in cash if the customer prefers. Since registration was phased in from 2017, an overdue boleto can be paid at any bank. The format has shrunk in relative terms but has not gone away. The BCB recorded 5.67 billion boleto payments worth R$10 trillion in 2025, against almost 80 billion Pix transactions, and FEBRABAN lists school fees, condominium charges, health plans, loan instalments and business invoices among its main uses.
For online sellers the trade-off is speed. PSPs usually confirm payment within one to three business days (Stripe quotes up to one, EBANX up to three), and interbank settlement happens on the same day only for slips paid by 13:30. Expiry windows are short, often three to five days, and unpaid slips simply lapse. There are no chargebacks, but refunds depend on the provider: Adyen and Stripe do not offer them for boleto, while dLocal does.
Boleto suits businesses selling to customers without cards, or billing in instalments. It cannot be used for deposits with licensed Brazilian betting operators, and hybrid slips carrying a Pix QR code are gradually blurring the line between the two methods.
payment methods
markets
currencies
sectors served
What Boleto costs
Merchants do not pay Boleto directly. Each payment provider that offers it sets its own rate, so compare a few and ask them to quote.
- Settlement
- Confirmed in 1–3 business days by most PSPs; interbank settlement is same-day for slips paid by 13:30, otherwise next day.
Oversight and regulation
Regulators that oversee Boleto and the company that runs it, as published by the scheme or regulator. Check the register entry before relying on it.
Banco Central do BrasilWhat the last check found
Corrections vs current record: category 'terminals-kiosks' removed and 'voucher' added (PSPs classify boleto as a voucher/cash method); website_url was null (now FEBRABAN's boleto platform page; the FEBRABAN portal refused automated connections, so its content was checked via an archived FEBRABAN press release and search listings); founded_year set to 1993 (BCB Carta-Circular 2,414 of 7 Oct 1993, in force 3 Jan 1994, per FEBRABAN). The old claim of 'settlement typically within 1–2 business days' is roughly right but PSP confirmation ranges up to 3 business days; 'low cost' is doubtful (BCB says boleto costs more than Pix Cobrança); 'no chargebacks' is correct. Wikipedia says boleto is 'regulated by Febraban'; per Res. BCB 443/2024 the BCB regulates the arrangement and the industry convention is set by participants' associations (FEBRABAN among them) subject to BCB approval. Volume figures conflict by scope: BCB payment statistics show 5.80bn boleto payments in 2024 and 5.67bn in 2025, while FEBRABAN cited 4.2bn documents worth R$5.8tn in 2023 (likely interbank-cleared collection boletos only); BCB figures used in copy. Refund support varies by PSP (Adyen and Stripe: none; dLocal: yes); refunds are not a boleto-scheme function. Boleto Rápido (separate taxonomy slug/listing) is included as a PSP-branded faster-confirmation variant; its exact mechanics vary by provider and were not verified in detail. PayRetailers' status page lists only Boleto Rápido (not standard boleto) for Brazil, so PayRetailers is not in supported_by. Hybrid boleto with Pix QR proposed as a new method term (offered as 'Boleto Hybrid' by dLocal; being standardised by the BCB). Boletos are banned for licensed Brazilian betting deposits (Portaria SPA/MF 615/2024), so iGaming is not listed as an industry even though Paysafe's docs mention boleto for iGaming merchants. Not added: Checkout.com, AstroPay, Worldpay (boleto support not verified).
From the last check against Boleto’s own documentation. Coverage changes; confirm anything you are about to build on.
Pricing, in detail
No scheme-level price. Issuing banks charge the beneficiary (merchant) under their own tariffs, and PSPs set their own boleto pricing. The BCB describes boleto as costlier than its Pix Cobrança alternative.
Is Boleto regulated?
People at Boleto
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Sources · 14
- Resolução BCB nº 443/2024 – boleto payment arrangement · bcb.gov.brUsed for regulation, participants, boleto types, mandatory content (payer name + CPF/CNPJ, amount, due date), Pix-payable presentation, settlement rules (VR-Boleto R$250,000; STR within 60 minutes), industry convention
- FEBRABAN – Boletos paid by 13h30 can be settled the same day (12 Mar 2024) · portal.febraban.org.brUsed for D+0/D+1 interbank settlement from 15 Mar 2024, 136 banks, origin in BCB Carta-Circular 2,414 (7 Oct 1993), PCR platform live July 2017, overdue boletos payable at any bank, main use cases, 4.2bn documents in 2023 (read via Internet Archive copy because the FEBRABAN portal refused direct connections)
- BCB open data – Estatísticas de Meios de Pagamentos · dadosabertos.bcb.gov.brUsed for boleto volumes: 5.80bn / R$9.62tn (2024), 5.67bn / R$10.02tn (2025), 1.37bn / R$2.42tn (Q2 2026); Pix comparison
- BCB – Pix Cobrança (Pix vs boleto comparison) · bcb.gov.brUsed for boleto settles in up to 3 business days, not on holidays, higher cost, needs bank clearing
- Núclea – Plataforma Centralizada de Recebíveis · nuclea.com.brUsed for central boleto register operated by Núclea since 2017, fraud reduction
- BCB – Relatório de Gestão do Pix 2023-2025 · bcb.gov.brUsed for hybrid billing (boleto barcode or Pix QR on one document) under Res. 443 being standardised
- Adyen Docs – Boleto Bancário · docs.adyen.comUsed for voucher flow, five-day default due date, no refunds, no chargebacks, no recurring, iOS/Android/web integrations
- Stripe Docs – Boleto payments · docs.stripe.comUsed for confirmation up to 1 business day, T+2 settlement, R$5–49,999.99 limits, 3-day default expiry (0–60), no refunds, no chargebacks, Brazil-based accounts only
- EBANX Docs – Boleto · docs.ebanx.comUsed for confirmation up to 3 business days, expiry/cancellation, Pix-enabled boleto options
- dLocal Docs – Brazil · docs.dlocal.comUsed for boleto (up to 8 days, refunds supported), Boleto Hybrid with embedded Pix QR
- Mercado Pago Developers – Boleto · mercadopago.com.brUsed for default 3 business-day expiry (1–30 days), payer data required
- Portaria Normativa SPA/MF nº 615/2024 (LegisWeb) · legisweb.com.brUsed for boletos prohibited for licensed betting deposits
- PayRetailers status page · status.payretailers.comUsed for Boleto Rápido pay-in listed for Brazil
- Wikipedia – Boleto · en.wikipedia.orgUsed for cross-check of payment channels (conflict on regulator noted)
14 sources · last checked 12 September 2026 — each one says which claim it supports.
Compiled from public sources — verify with Boleto before you sign anything. How we compile this · Suggest a correction ·